


Knights of the Sun

by Zurenika



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-07-01 07:31:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15769455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zurenika/pseuds/Zurenika
Summary: Following a huge fallout, the knights are now divided into two factions: One led by Youngbin and the other by the Chani. When a mythical creature was said to be awakened, the two groups scrambled their forces in order to get it to their side.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> ** title subject to change **  
> Find me on twitter @kaydawonie

All his life, Chani knew nothing but hardship. He grew up in an orphanage and even then, he knew that there was something different about him. The other kids kept their distance and he didn't really care. Their presence annoyed him so much that it was better to be left alone reading books and playing with imaginary friends. Until the day came that a guy came in and adopted him. 

It was him that showed Chani a new world - a world existing with the one he knew before and yet separate from it. A world where vampires and magic are real and Seoul is divided into districts protected by ancient, powerful families with different abilities. And most importantly, it was a world where he knew, deep in his heart, that he belongs.

But as always, things do not always go well for him. 

Chani was already fifteen when he realized that the guy he considered his father really only wanted him for his powers. Looking back, they never really had an actual conversation other than who to scare next or kill next and got so sick of it that he let the old guy get killed.

Chani watched the entire thing happen. He heard his father calling for help but Chani just looked at him in disgust until he took his last breath.  

And that’s when Youngbin and the knights entered the picture and Chani, although a bit hesitant in trusting others once more, felt that he was with family. But fate is still cruel to him and a little nosy fairy revealed the truth - the actual truth. Youngbin is his real brother, his only remaining family and the guy apparently knew about it and chose to keep quiet. 

And so Chani found himself trembling - in anger or from the truth, he didn't know and didn't care. All he knew was he needed to confront Youngbin about it. 

It was 3 in the morning when he found Youngbin in the library. Chani rushed him, pinning him against one of the bookshelves so hard that several books fell on them. Chani wrapped his thin, cold fingers around Youngbin's throat. 

"You knew! From the start you knew about me!" Chani hissed. 

Youngbin's eyes shone in understanding and his silence only angered the younger one more causing him to squeeze his fingers ever so slightly. 

“I wanted to make sure that I could trust you,” Youngbin choked, not bothering to fight him off. 

Chani shook his head. “Fuck you! I have saved your life thrice and still that wasn’t enough for you to trust me?!”

“You were right, Chani,” Youngbin suddenly said. “The truth is I didn’t want you to know. I wanted to be the only Nephilim in town,”

It was an outright lie and Chani is quick to pick up on lies but this time, his emotions were all over the place that he didn’t even realize it for what it was. Youngbin saw the hesitation in Chani’s face and took advantage of it. He placed his hand over Chani’s chest and sent out a blast of energy, causing the younger to fly across the room.

“Chani, please, I was waiting for the right time to tell you,” Youngbin explained as he walked towards him.

“N-no,” Chani breathed. An unusual cold was starting to creep in his entire body, he can feel the tips of his fingers getting numb, his lips trembling and when he blinked, his lashes were frosted. 

“Chani," there was concern in Youngbin's voice, or was it? he asked himself. He looked up at the guy but his vision was blurred-it was like looking through a misty glass.

Chani felt his blood freeze in his veins, he felt his heart beat slowing down. He looked down at his hands, noticed how blue they looked and tried to move them but they were frozen

“Chani! Let me in!” the voice sounded muffled.

He couldn’t understand anything. There was only the cold creeping all over his body. He wanted to shout out, to ask for help but his mouth was frozen. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, Chani was sure he heard the sound of something breaking and a flutter of wings.


	2. One

Even with the scaffolding and the blue tarp surrounding it plus the number of CAUTION signage around, thousands of tourists still take pictures of the church. Dawon can’t blame them; the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Saigon is impressive in its own way, its two bell towers reaching into points towards the clear, blue sky.

A group of tourists jostled him, hurrying towards the city’s post office with murmurs of apology and excuse. Dawon followed them with his eyes and, spotted Youngbin coming out of the building. Their leader caught his eye before blending in with the crowd. Dawon looked to his right–across the street was Hwiyoung, pretending to take pictures of the scenery but the tense line of his shoulders say otherwise.

“One hour, hyung,” Taeyang said stepping beside Dawon.  They were both looking up at the church’s bell towers, the place it was supposed to be hidden. “One hour, then I pull you out of there. No questions asked.”

“Of course,” Dawon murmured. “Let’s go?”

Taeyang grabbed a hold of Dawon's arm and an excruciating pain shot up towards his head from where the younger one touched him. Dawon stumbled but Taeyang's hand, switching between warm and cold, steadied him. The light around them bent and refracted, making them invisible to the human eye.

Dawon closed his eyes, feeling his stomach lurch from the entry. Travelling to the shadow dimension has always been a pain in the ass and no matter how much he had done it, the experience still leaves him weak.

“We’re here,” Taeyang’s voice was only an echo inside his head.

Dawon took a deep breath to try to steel himself for the ordeal ahead and opened his eyes. Rosura, the shadow dimension, is one of the trickiest places in the universe, with things always getting distorted and blown out of proportion and the alternating light and dark can get confusing if one does not have a guide.

“I’ve laid out the path! Hurry and find it,”

Dawon ignored the tendrils wrapping around his ankles as he focused on the task at hand. He took a minute to spot it–a thin, golden thread of light laid perfectly still on the ground. He made his way forward, not letting the thread out of his sight. He worked his way towards the shadow replica of the Cathedral and up towards one of the towers.

Dawon arrived in front of a solid wooden door. He laid his hands flat on its surface, trying to figure out the enchantments used to keep it sealed. After a minute, he smirked, the first two layers of the lock were easy; he took no time to break them; the last one, however, was tricky. It was a complex mix of Alchemy and Enochian, two subjects he didn’t take that seriously. Dawon didn’t know how long he stood there figuring out the enchantments guarding the place until Taeyang bought his attention back.

Thirty minutes, hyung, Taeyang said.

“Thirty minutes! But we’ve only been here for like 10?!” Dawon exclaimed. 

Hyung, it's been 30 minutes since you’ve stood in front of that door, Taeyang replied and even though Dawon can’t see him, he can feel the judgement in the other’s voice.

 “Okay! Okay!” Dawon said.” Now keep quiet, I almost have it figured out.”

It took Dawon another five minutes, a shit ton of curse words and a promise to himself to study more before managing to open the door. He was expecting to see something mind-blowing inside the room but what welcomed him was a barely furnished room – a small table near the window, a plain white bed and a red-haired guy sleeping soundly on it.

Dawon hyung!

The panic in Taeyang’s voice made Dawon rush towards the sleeping figure. He touched its hand just as Taeyang started pulling him out of Rosura.

Dawon lay sprawled behind the Cathedral, the lights and sounds of the city overwhelming his senses for a minute. His hand was still holding onto the guy, who was still asleep, as footsteps rang closer and closer. Dawon tried to stand up but he was still weak from the travel fortunately, Hwiyoung's face came into view.

“Hyung! We have to g-!” Hwiyoung looked past him, towards the other figure on the ground. He approached Dawon first, grabbed him around the waist and slung him up on one shoulder. He did the same to the other guy before rushing outside and dumping them both into the backseat of a waiting car.  

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From where he was standing, Youngbin spotted the first few figures darting around on top of the buildings. There were only about five of them but he was sure that within minutes, the entire coven would descend upon him. Youngbin sent out a silent prayer that Hwiyoung and Dawon are already on their way to safety.

“Just give it up, Youngbin-ssi,”

There was only one person in the entire world to whom that deep voice belongs to.

“Juho-ssi,” Youngbin greeted as he turned to face the vampire.

Juho’s skin glowed under the moonlight reminding Youngbin of those porcelain statues with their artificial sheen. The vampire gazed past him, towards the city bustling in the night. “You know that I’m the only one stopping them from finding you, right?” he said. Youngbin remained still. 

“You really think you could survive an entire coven, Youngbin?”

 Youngbin shrugged. “I’ve survived a lot of situations before,” he answered

“That confidence would get you killed one day,” Juho replied, finally looking at him with those blue-violet eyes.

Youngbin smiled and pulled out a broadsword, almost the same height as him, from thin air. “Maybe, but it won’t be today,” he replied.

“We’ll see,” Juho said before jumping on top of the next building. Youngbin felt something lifting from the air around him and within seconds, a number of vampires swarmed and made a tight circle around him.

"Now,", Youngbin murmured.

The space between Youngbin and the vampires started to heat up. On top of his head, something started to rip. Youngbin thrust his sword into it and dragged his weapon down. White light came pouring out of the tear, blinding the vampires. There were some lucky ones who managed to get away but for those unfortunate souls, their shrieks echoing into the night were the only reminder of their existence and even that faded into nothingness.

 “Are they gone?” Taeyang said stepping out from Youngbin’s shadow.

Youngbin nodded as he glanced around them one last time. Juho was nowhere to be found.

“Did you get it?” Youngbin asked.

Taeyang nodded.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Juho noticed the biting chill in the air the moment he stepped inside the room. It almost made him stop and turn around but he knew that doing so would be so much worse. And so he continued until he reached Him, fully aware of Rowoon's worried gaze following his every step.

Kang Chani lounged in a brown leather armchair in the center of the room, both eyes closed as if in deep sleep. Juho remained quiet knowing full well that Chani had been alerted to his presence the moment he crossed the threshold. After about a minute, Chani slowly opened his eyes and found him. 

“Tell me what happened,” Chani said.

“I failed," Juho admitted falling down on his knees. He didn't bother explaining himself for Chani would only take that as excuses and the child hate excuses. 

Juho watched as Chani stood up and walked up to him. The smile on his face was pure, his eyes wide and shining. Chani stopped a few steps away and extended his hand to him. Juho grabbed it and hoisted himself up. 

In the blink of an eye, Chani's other hand grabbed his throat and gave it a tight squeeze that even though Juho is technically dead, it made him grasp for air. 

"You know I hate, failures," Chani said with a steady voice. The hand on his neck tightened even more and he felt the cold creeping into his entire body as the seconds passed.   
"Chani-ssi," 

Rowoon stepped behind their master and laid a hand on his shoulder. Chani closed his eyes and started to loosen his hands on Juho. The vampire slid to the ground in a huge clump, clutching at his throat. 

"You better come up with a plan on how to get it back and fast," Chani warned. "Take care of him," he added to Rowoon before striding out of the room.

Rowoon crouched down and checked on Juho, noticing how the frostbite from Chani's hold was healing slow. "You haven't fed yet," Rowoon stated. 

"I did," Juho said, standing up. He wasn't lying; he did feed a little while ago but countering Chani's powers took up a lot of energy and Juho was just glad he had enough or else.   
"Come on then," Rowoon said, unbuttoning his collar and exposing his pale neck marred only by two small scars that are almost fading.

"Rowoon... no," Juho whispered taking a step back. He was trying so hard to control himself but the scent of Rowoon's blood was so appealing. He glanced at the guy who merely nodded. 

Juho's eyes flashed a deep red as he closed the distance between them and without any hesitation, sank his fangs into Rowoon's skin, losing himself in the taste of life for the moment.


	3. Two

Dawon let out a sigh of relief as soon as they made it through the barrier. He had been driving for what felt like days now and he can feel the exhaustion slowly creeping up to consume him. He stepped on the accelerator and navigated the car over the cliffs and towards the mansion. Youngbin and Taeyang were waiting for them on the driveway, the look of relief clear on their faces. Dawon parked the car haphazardly and got off, sweeping Youngbin in a tight hug.

  
“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Youngbin whispered as they held each other close.

  
            “Can you guys wait until the children are away?” Hwiyoung quipped from behind them. Taeyang was already beside him and was making weird gagging noises. The two separated but Youngbin kept a firm grip on Dawon’s hand as they made their way towards the car.  

  
“How is it?” Youngbin asked, peering inside. The guy was curled in the backseat, still asleep.

“We don’t really know. He’s been asleep the entire time. I even tried shaking him awake but nothing,” Hwiyoung answered.

  
Youngbin nodded. “Can you guys bring it in and set it up in one of the rooms?” he asked, looking at Hwiyoung and Taeyang.

  
“Okay, first off, why do you refer to him as it and second, you know you can just tell us to scram and leave you guys alone, ” Taeyang replied as Hwiyoung gently pulled the guy out from the backseat and slung him over his shoulder. 

  
As soon as they were gone Youngbin turned to Dawon and cradled his face in both hands. Dawon smiled as he snaked his hands around Youngbin’s waist and pulled him close, catching their leader's lips with his. 

  
***********************************************************************************************

  
3 days later... 

  
Jaeyoon pointed a semi automatic pistol towards where the barrier is supposed to be. The grip burned a familiar warmth as the runes on his gun glowed and shot a single bullet, hitting the barrier with a force as that of a bomb.

He quickly jumped behind a clump of trees, listening for the faintest of sounds. Jaeyoon was impressed that the barrier remained intact even with that much of a force attacking it but now, he's in a dilemma as to how to move next.

A minute passed and then another. Just as he was about to step out of the trees, his ears picked it up - leaves crunching under soft foot falls mixed with a gentle hum of an unknown song.

He peeked around the trunk of the tree and waited. A bob of red was bouncing in the forest, about three meters from the barrier. The trees were standing a bit close together on that part but when it finally reached a clearing, Jaeyoon finally saw.

A guy almost as tall as him was looking around the woods with wonder, his sharp eyes reminding Jaeyoon of a desert fox. His red hair contrasted deeply with the rich greens and was mussed by the three little birds fleeting in and out on top of his head.

But what puzzled Jaeyoon more is that a magnificent elk the size of a horse was walking alongside the man, as if a dog to a human and he knew then that this was no ordinary being.

As if sensing his presence, the guy turned and looked at him straight in the eye. Jaeyoon shivered from the weight of that look but it also made him breathless.

Beautiful. There was no other way to describe him

And Jaeyoon felt as if his very soul was being pulled, closer and closer and he didn't even realize that he stepped out of his hiding place until his fingers grazed the barrier.

He blinked realizing what had happened. The guy was a few steps in front of, watching him with carefully eyes. 

"Hello-" Jaeyoon said. He was about to raise his right hand to wave at the guy when a solid weight reminded him of the gun. Jaeyoon quickly hid his hand behind him and raised the other one hoping the guy wouldn't didn't notice anything.

"My name's Jaeyoon." He called, giving his most disarming smile.

The guy tilted his head to the side, "I-I'm In-inseong..." he replied, voice hoarse, while extending his hand forward and breaking the barrier as if it was made of cobwebs.  

  
******************************************************************************************

Dawon rushed outside just as Taeyang screamed something from the second floor. Whatever that was, he was pretty sure that Youngbin would take care of it. For now, he needs to check on the barrier. Someone successfully tore down a part of it and did so very easily. 

"After all the effort I've put into it," Dawon murmured. A part of him was impressed by whoever it is and a part of was scared. The barriers he put in place were developed through centuries of careful research, passed on to him by his ancestors. Whoever destroyed it had enough juice in them to maybe send them all to oblivion.

He pushed himself off the ground and hovered over the trees. The barrier, fully visible to him, remained intact in most places except of the one near the edge of the woods. There was a clean tear on it, it's edges glowing a deep red. Dawon approached it slowly, careful as whoever did it might be lurking around. 

Dawon spotted a figure right below him standing right in front of the broken part of the barrier. He slowly descended to the ground, somewhat recognizing the red hair.

"Hey!" he greeted, walking with slow, careful steps. "Are you okay?"

The guy turned slowly and faced him. There was something off about the guy and Dawon couldn't quite place his finger on it. "Are you okay? Did you see who did this?" he called out, testing the waters.

The guy tilted his head to the side. "I-i did this..." he replied. "I did this," 

"Woah, okay. Uhm, can you please just step aside while i work on it again?" Dawon asked. 

The guy nodded and stepped aside, watching him work from the shade of a nearby tree. Dawon felt uneasy exposing his back to a person or creature or whatever this person really is but doing so would make the guy feel that he's being trusted. 

When he had finally repaired the barrier, he turned to face the guy again. "I'm Dawon, by the way. And you?"

"Inseong. My name is Inseong." he replied. 

"Alright, Inseong-ssi, let's go back to the mansion?" Dawon said, approaching the guy.

When Inseong didn't move, Dawon gently placed a hand on the other's arm and stirred him in the right direction.  

******************************************************

"Do we know what he is?" Dawon asked. 

They were gathered in Youngbin's bedroom, discussing about the things that happened that day -mainly about how Inseong managed to destroy the barrier so easily and cleanly. 

Youngbin shook his head. "Just that he's a powerful being that could help us sway things in our favor," he replied. 

"If he can really help sway things in our favor, then i'm sure others would kill to get their hands on him." Hwiyoung said grimly. 

Youngbin nodded. It wasn't just Chani who's after Inseong. From the moment they pulled the guy out of Rosura, a lot of forces have awakened and is slowly making their way across the dimensions. He looked around the room, at the other three people that he can fully trust and sent out a prayer that whatever happens they all manage survive. 

********************************************************************


	4. Three

Youngbin looked up at the bright gold sign hanging in front of the entrance and took a deep breath. One would think that a priestess would be found in the depths of a mountain or in some shrine in a quiet part of town, not in the middle of the red light district and no less than one of the biggest clubs around.

The guards let him in with a nod and Youngbin weaved his way through the crowd of gyrating bodies; the smell of alcohol, perfume and sex permeating the air. The Oracle’s lair was one of the neutral grounds – a safe place for ordinary humans, immortals and gifted individuals like him mingle – but even then, Youngbin was careful not to make any eye contact with anyone.

He went through another set of doors and rode an elevator all the way to the top.

“Youngbin! It’s been awhile,” she said as soon as he entered the room.

“Hyejeong,” he greeted with a barely perceptible nod.

“I don’t know if I should call you brave or foolish,” she started, taking a sip out of the goblet in her hand.

Youngbin’s eyes flashed dangerously. Hyejeong's has always been blunt, even more so when she finally ascended as this generation's Oracle

“I don’t have a choice,” Youngbin sighed, looking at the carpeted floor. Even to him, the words sound empty.

“You always have a choice, Youngbin. I’ve always told you that. It’s just that you’re too good of a person to choose the other options,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Youngbin hung his head in defeat. Hyejeong was right- she has always been right; not just because she’s the Oracle but also because she has been one of his closest friends and an almost lover.

“There is still time,” she started to say, her voice taking on that ethereal quality that one could almost feel inside one's head. “The future isn’t always set in stone. It’s changing with every decision, with every choice. You may have started this path but there are still ways to turn back. It’s all up to you,”

“Will I – How will I know if it’s the point of no return?” Youngbin asked, his voice bordering on sadness and desperation.

“When all is lost.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Youngbin heard when he returned to the mansion was Dawon’s laughter. It filled the quiet, empty halls and he allowed himself to bask in the sound of it, making him feel warm on the inside. He followed it and found himself in the kitchens.

Dawon and Inseong were on the floor in front of the fridge, two pints of ice cream and a half eaten cake between them. Inseong mumbled something incoherently causing Dawon to laugh out loud. Youngbin smiled watching the scene in front of him unfold. He had half a mind to join them but eventually, he chose not to. And so, he remained in the shadow of the hallway, watching the two of them interact. After a minute, Youngbin quietly slipped upstairs to his room.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure about this?” Chani asked.

Jaeyoon nodded. They were back in the woods, just near the spot where he met Inseong. Chani signaled for him to continue as he stayed hidden behind some trees. 

After about ten minutes, two figures started walking towards them - Inseong and Dawon. Jaeyoon's hand immediately went to the gun tucked behind his back seeing the other guy. He looked questioningly at Inseong who merely shook his head. But even with the assurance, Jaeyoon still kept his hand on the gun. 

"I thought you were alone," Jaeyoon said as the two came close enough. 

Inseong shrugged. "Well, he won't leave me alone. And don't worry, i have everything under control," he replied, waving a hand in front of Dawon's face. Immediately, Dawon's eyes closed and he collapsed to the ground. 

"So, how have you been?" Jaeyoon asked, taking Inseong's hand and walking away from the collapsed figure. 

Chani stepped out of the shadows when Inseong and Jaeyoon were out of sight. Jaeyoon was right. The part where Inseong made a tear in the barrier didn't fix as easily and he was able to poke around with it. After a while, he approached Dawon's sleeping figure on the ground. 

Footsteps from behind alerted Chani of Jaeyoon and Inseong returning and so he slinked back in the shadows and watched. The two said their goodbyes to each other. Inseong laid a hand on Dawon's shoulder and he stood up but his eyes were all milky. 

"How do you want me to proceed?" Jaeyoon asked as they watched the two figures disappear in the distance. 

"Befriend him. seduce him. Do whatever you can to gain his trust," Chani answered. "But judging by what happened, i think you're already halfway there," 

"And what of Dawon? What do i do with him?" 

Chani smirked and met Jaeyoon's eyes, "Don't worry. We wouldn't be having problems with Dawon anytime soon," 

"You know, you never have told anyone of us about Inseong? What is he?" Jaeyoon said. The things he's seen Inseong do, it was clear that he wasn't just someone who's gifted like them. 

Chani remained quiet and only spoke when they approached the highway. 

"Do you know the legend of the Nine-Tailed fox?" he asked.


	5. Four

"Taeyang? What’s wrong?"

The guy stepped inside his room and immediately turned on all the lights. Youngbin was blinded for a moment and when his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he saw the tense line in Taeyang’s shoulder.

“Taeyang-ah?”

The guy’s head snapped up immediately and faced him but the look in his eyes was dim and faraway.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Youngbin said, guiding him gently towards one of the chairs.

“Rosura… The Shadows, it’s- they’re all wrong and twisted and..., something’s coming,” he answered.

==========

Club Oracle doesn't look as impressive in the morning as it does at night and it certainly isn't supposed to be this busy.  Three huge trucks were parked in front of it and people carrying boxes and all sorts of stuff go in and out of the building in a rush. 

Youngbin can feel Taeyang's apprehension as they made their way on top of the building. It's easy to put two and two together and he needed to talk to Hyejeong before she disappears again.

The Oracle was waiting for them in an almost empty room; the only furniture left was the chair she was sitting on and the black, glass table on which sits a bottle of wine.

"Why are you moving?" Youngbin asked as soon as they reached her. 

"You brought the Shadowalker," she said, nodding at Taeyang. "I'm guessing he told you?"

Taeyang shook his head. "All i know is that something's coming and that Rosura isn't what it was before," he answered in defense. 

“If I were you, I would lessen my trips to the shadoworld. It would do no good for someone like you to be trapped inside it. “she warned. 

“Hyejeong, what the hell’s happening?” Youngbin asked, his voice rising a bit. 

She stood up, face twisted in annoyance. "Why didn't you just listen to me and let it stay in the dark?" she exclaimed and was about to take a swig from the bottle when Youngbin yanked it out of her hands. 

"Yah!" 

"What's happening?" he repeated.

Hyejeong sighed. "You stole something from the shadows and now they're trying to get it back. The fox isn’t supposed to leave Rosura until if fully awakens. You think you're doing good Youngbin but all you left us was a mess-" 

She stopped realizing the impact of her words. 

“If I were you, i'd work with Chani again. Broken, you won't be able to do a thing but together..," she continued after a minute, breaking the strained silence that enveloped them. 

"Does Chani know?" Youngbin asked.

She smirked. "Of course he knows. That kid doesn’t miss anything important,”

 

 ==========

"Brave of you to call me out here, brother,"

Chani’s voice cut through the silence. Youngbin turned on his heels and regarded him. His brother looked a lot different – taller by about an inch, thinner but what bothered Youngbin most was the look in Chani’s eyes.

They weren’t the eyes of a child – they were harsh and cold and assessing and it sent a shiver down his spine.

"You knew about Inseong and Rosura?" Youngbin asked not bothering with the niceties.

The younger scoffed. “What do you take me for, brother? Of course I do. And I’m pretty sure I know a lot more than you do right now,” he replied as he started to walk around Youngbin in a circle.

“Really? And what is that?”

“That right now, you need my help and would want to me to join forces with the knights again” Chani said in a low, almost gravelly voice.

“Hyejeong said it would be for the best” Youngbin replied.  

Chani shook his head. “And you still base your moves on whatever that woman say. Tsk.”

Youngbin remained quiet.

“You know, I think you’re forgetting something, Hyung,” Chani said, the last word dripping with so much hate. “The moment Hyejeong left this place; it had ceased to become neutral ground.”

 Chani stopped walking and stood in front of Youngbin, the temperature in the room turning sub-zero. There were tendrils of ice forming behind Chani – weaving in and out, with different patterns and eventually, forming a sort of ragged wing.

“Pretty,” Youngbin commented.

The wings spread out beside Chani and flapped forward, sending a flurry of snow towards Youngbin.  

“I guess that means you won’t be working with me?” Youngbin said, pulling out his sword.

====================

            “Jaeyoon hyung!”

            He rushed outside hearing the alarm in Rowoon’s voice. The tall guy was pointing at some sort of lump just right outside the gates.

            “Do you know what it is?” he asked, pulling out his pistols.

            “Youngbin hyung suddenly appeared and left it there,” Rowoon replied.

            “It’s Chani. Come on,” Jaeyoon said running outside. Rowoon was still confused as to what’s happening but followed him otherwise.

            Jaeyoon was already kneeling beside the figure when he arrived. Rowoon rushed towards them and immediately grabbed Chani’s wrist, feeling for a pulse.

“He’s still alive,” he whispered, looking at the state of his wounds. There were cuts and burns all over his body. Thankfully, there weren’t any critical hits.

            Rowoon placed a hand on Chani’s forehead and started the process of healing. The magic flowed through his veins like a river and escaped through his hand and he watched as the wounds slowly stitch themselves together. The entire process took several minutes.

            Afterwards, Jaeyoon carried the kid in his arms and they slowly made their way towards his bedroom.

            “By the way, how did you know it was Chani?” Rowoon asked.

            “He told me that Youngbin wanted to talk,” Jaeyoon replied.

            Rowoon turned to him. “And you let him go alone?! What if he dies?!”

            Jaeyoon sighed. “He didn’t, okay? Besides, he told me it’s at Club Oracle so I went with it. And Youngbin would never kill his own brother,”

            “Yeah, but he did hurt him enough,” Rowoon retorted.

            Jaeyoon was quiet up until they managed to get Chani in bed. Club Oracle was neutral ground but the fight between the two Nephilim is definitely a sign that something’s up.

 

==========

            Youngbin woke up with a slight headache and sore body. He didn’t think that Chani could improve that much within a short period of time. The kid was still rough and impulsive with his attacks but with time, Youngbin knew that he will be a worthy opponent.

            “Hyung! Finally!” Hwiyoung rushed to him with tears in his eyes.

            “Oh Hwiyoung-ah, what’s wrong? How long was I asleep?” he asked as he got up from the bed. It felt as if he’d been asleep for years.

            “You’ve been asleep for an entire week, hyung!”

            “An entire week? You’re joking, right?” he asked but Hwiyoung’s serious expression told him otherwise. He also noticed how the kid was suddenly thrumming with a nervous energy.

            “What’s wrong? What happened while I was out?”

            “Dawon and Inseong sneaked into Club Oracle a couple of hours ago,”

            “What?! Where is Taeyang? Didn’t he tell you that Hyejeong left?!”

            Youngbin saw Hwiyoung freeze and looked up at him slowly with wide eyes. “Hyejeong-nuna… left… t-that means…,”

            “Where is Taeyang?! Didn’t he inform you guys?!”

            Hwiyoung suddenly covered his face with his hands and started to sob.

            “Hwiyoung-ah, what happened?” he asked as gently as he could.


	6. Five

“He’s in there,” Hwiyoung whispered, stopping in front of Taeyang’s bedroom door.

Hwiyoung's eyes were shining with unshed tears and he was trying so hard to control his sobs that his shoulders were starting to shake. Youngbin didn’t know what to expect behind the door but Hwiyoung’s demeanor was enough of a clue. He gently dismissed the guy and waited until he disappeared around the corner.

Youngbin took a deep breath and steeled himself for whatever lay on the other side of the door.

The windows wide open and there was enough light coming in but Taeyang’s room still looked dark. The air was thick and heavy that Youngbin himself had a little bit difficulty in breathing.

 “Taeyang-ah, it’s Youngbin,” he called out, noticing a lump on the bed.

“Taeyang-ah…”

Youngbin made his way towards the bed and found the guy in deep sleep, eyebrows creased together in worry.

“Taeyang-ah, what’s wrong?” he asked shaking the younger's shoulders lightly.

But Taeyang didn’t wake – he didn’t even stir one bit. Youngbin started to shake him a little harder but still nothing.

“Your friends are just like you, Youngbin-ssi. Unable to heed simple warnings,”

Youngbin turned on his heels to face the newcomer. 

“It’s been a while, Youngbin-ssi. How have you been?” She was leaning against the doorway, the huge hat hiding half her face in the shadows.

“Jiu? What are you doing here?” he asked.

She smiled and flipped her red hair over her shoulder. “I came to help.”

“Really? You’re going to help me?”

“I came with information,” she answered.

Jiu strode into the room and stood beside him, looking down at Taeyang’s sleeping figure.   

“Your friend here is trapped in Rosura,” she said.

She reached out and held his hand. “I can’t believe you would let your friend do something The Oracle warned him about,” she continued eyeing him with accusation.  

“There must be a reason why he did it though,” Youngbin said, more to himself than to Jiu. “He’s not the type to just do things at his own whim.”

 “Anyway,” she continued letting go of Taeyang’s hand. “He’s not that deep in the shadows yet. With the way things are, even we limit our trips to Rosura. But, your mage can probably do something about it.”  

“About that,”

Jiu sighed and rolled her eyes. “What happened this time?” she asked exasperated.

“It seems he sneaked into Club Oracle with another one of us,” Youngbin answered, hoping that Jiu wouldn’t know of Inseong’s existence.  

Jiu closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. Youngbin can feel the anger wafting off  her and somehow knew that he would get a lecture.

“You mean with the fox,” she said shaking her head. “Well then, what are we still doing here?”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“Dawon-ah, are you sure this is the right way?” Inseong asked as they weaved their way along different alleys.

“Yes. Don’t worry, it’ll be worth it. We might have to stay for a couple of hours inside coz the fun starts later at night but, I’m sure you’ll like it,” Dawon answered motioning for him to follow.

Inseong pursed his lips, adjusting the leather jacket that Dawon bought for him. They were decked in what Dawon said was club wear and the tight jeans and shirt are making Inseong so uncomfortable. Dawon on the other looked amazing.

“Huh, something’s wrong,” Dawon muttered as they exited yet another alley and stood in front of a huge building. Th sign was still glowing and there were a few people loitering in front.

And Dawon was right, there was something that Inseong can't pinpoint - something off about the place. 

“We should go back, Dawon-ah,” Inseong said. Every nerve in his body was telling him to back off and head home and he was sure that Dawon can feel it too. And yet, Dawon smiled at him and pulled him inside.

"Relax, we're probably just thinking too much about it," he said. 

Stepping over the threshold only heightened the feeling of dread in Inseong. But the surge of loud music as they turned the corner drowned it out. The club was in full swing – the dance floor filled with bodies swaying to the music and the scent of alcohol and sweat mixed in the air.

This is wrong. We shouldn’t be here, Inseong muttered under his breath as they walked deeper into the club.

The lights were starting to burn his eyes and the music was too loud that he can feel it reverberating in his chest. A few people jostled him without even bothering to say sorry. 

It was too much. This is too much. 

“D-dawon,”

All the bottles in the bar exploded into a thousand tiny pieces and then, the screaming started. 

"Dawon, we have to go!" Inseong exclaimed as he tried to pull the other guy back towards the way they came from but people were rushing all around them that they got separated.

"Inseong! Where are you?" Dawon screamed over the commotion.

Dawon found him a minute later, crouching near the bar. 

"Hey, let's go," Dawon said, helping him to stand up. 

"Well, well, what do we have here," 

Dawon's eyes sharpened upon hearing the voice. Inseong peeked around Dawon and saw some guys walking towards them, their strides menacing.

"This is neutral ground, Felton," Dawon said turning to face the biggest of the bunch. 

"It was," Felton agreed. "But the Oracle has left the building and this part of town is my territory," he continued.

"Look, we don't want any trouble. Can you please just let us go?" Dawon asked, smiling, walking in confidence towards the exit with Inseong in tow. But then, two of the men stepped forward and blocked their way. 

"You see, we've heard a little rumor, mage. A rumor about what you guys did in Saigon," Felton said conversationally. He started to stalk around them and Dawon followed his every movement with his eyes.

"What the knights do is none of your business," Dawon replied. 

"Oh, but my dear child, when the knights mess up the power structure, it becomes everyone's business," he growled. His features started to distort with a wet, twisting sound. The guys surrounding them seemed to be experiencing the same thing. Their skin stretched and turned into brown and gray and black. Fur started to cover their arms and legs and within minutes, the men were gone. Standing in their place are huge, hulking figures of half-men and half wolf.  

At Felton's howl, the werewolves lounged on them but Dawon managed to conjure up a ring of fire. Most of the wolves managed to stop themselves but two braves ones dared to cross the flames and landed inside. 

"Inseong, i'm going to drop the walls. Run as fast as you could, okay?" Dawon said, putting himself between the creatures and Inseong. 

He nodded absently. 

"On three then. 1, 2, 3!"

The flames around them died down just as the wolves jumped in the air towards them. It felt like the world was in slow motion, his  eyes fixed on the sharp teeth of the creature looming near them with every second. He closed his eyes, raising his arms in front of his face as if the gesture could do something to protect him. Inseong felt something warm drip on his arms and he was certain that it was death. He was waiting for teeth to start tearing him up but there was none. 

Inseong opened his eyes. 

Youngbin stood in front of them, his broad sword glistening with blood. Dawon was right next to him, a ball of fire on both his hands. 

"Jiu, get him out of here!" Youngbin exclaimed just as a girl suddenly appeared beside Inseong. 

"Hello!" she greeted, grabbing his forearm and pulling him upwards. Inseong closed his eyes, expecting for them to hit the ceiling but instead, they just went through it, through all three floors of it and landed on the rooftop. 

"Please, stay here for a bit. I have to check on those two," she said cheerily before disappearing back into the floor. 

Inseong was too stunned to say anything. He knew he should have done something. He knew that he could do something but everything happened so fast. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"We'll talk when we get back to the manor!" Youngbin said as he ran towards one of the wolves. He swung his sword down, the wolf lucky enough to avoid getting sliced in half. Dawon remained quiet but the flames he conjured felt a lot warmer and looked a lot brighter and Youngbin knew that the guy was blaming himself for this mess. 

Youngbin felt a sudden sharp pain along his side, his momentary distraction causing Felton to approach him and claw at him. In one swift motion, he slammed the hilt of his sword on top of the wolf's head and kicked him away. Dawon followed through with a blast of flame, making the creature howl in pain. 

"Dawon, that's enough," he called out but the guy wasn't listening to him. The flames surged into a bright orange and then started to turn into a bluish green. 

"Dawon! No!" 

Thankfully, Youngbin saw Jiu appear right behind Dawon and placed her hand on top of his head. Dawon crumpled to the ground with a soft thud. 

 


End file.
